Boot, shoe, and the like.



S. TROLLE. BOOT, SHOE AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 23, 1914- 1,141,889. Patented June 1, 1915.

. TED TATES PATENT. OFFICE.

SDFUS TROLLE, 0F RAGINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 RACINE ALUMINUM SHOE COMPANY, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN.

- BOOT, snon, AND THE LIKE.

raises.

Application filed Ezcember 23, 1914. Serial No. 878,811.

To all whom it may concern v lie it known. that I, SorUs TROLLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisnsin, have invented new and useful Improvcments in Boots, Shoes, and the like, of which the following is a specificationhis invention has reference to a boot, shoe or the'like article of footwear, herein offer generally called shoe, having one or more readily removable ground-engaging members and embodyingaan improved construction or correlation of parts productive of important benefits, such as hereinafter set forth.

The invention comprises a shoe bottom having an inflexible section provided with a recess which receives theground-engaging member, the latter projecting downwardly from the recess and having elements which cooperate with corresponding elements in the recess for effectively holding the groundengaging member against accidental displacement, while permitting said member to be readily removed.

More particularly, the invention includes a novel correlation of holding and displacement-preventing elements for the groundengaging member or members of the bottom, by whichthe ends of the invention are adequately obtained.

The invention also comprises a particular construction of ground-engaging member.

The term bottom. or shoe bottom wherever used in this specification is intended to be construed generically as mean-Y ing that part of a shoe, boot or other article of footwear, which is arranged, below the upper and, hence, as including what is commonly known asor what corresponds to-the sole and also as including what is commonly known as-or what corresponds to-the heel of the article.

The improvements forming the present invention are herein exemplified as-being embodied in the-type of'boots, shoes and the like, whose bottoms are formed of metal. Such articles of footwear are particularly intended for the use of lumbermen, stablemen, quarrymen, farmers, workers in breweries, garages, creameries and other wet places,and others who require footwear which will withstand rough usage and protect the feet against moisture, cold, briers,v

rocks, stones, and their efi'ects. When applied to or embodied in this particular type or class of footwear there are preferably a plurality of groundengaging members respectlvely arranged upon those portions of the bottom which are directly under the heel and ball of the foot of the wearer; the improvements aiming to increase to a-maximum degree the comfort with which such articles of footwear may be Worn as well as to so correlate the ground-engaging memberswith the metallic bottom that said ground-engaging members, which receive the greatest wear and are made of relatively Patented June 1,1915.

soft or of flexible material, will be efi'ectively held against pivotal or other movement relatively to the bottom and at the same time may be readily removed and replaced by a new one by the user, whether skilled-or unskilled in such matters.

Reference has hereinbeforebeen made to the substitution of a new ground-engaging member for a worn one, but it will be understood that it is within the spirit of the invention to embody the invention in a ground-engaging member which itself is to be removed from and replaced upon an ap' propriate part of the shoe bottom.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated and in the following description I have set forththe preferred embodiment of thepresent invention. While this preferred'Y'embodiment will be set forth. with particularity .it nevertheless should be understood that it is merely exemplary and that other particular embodiments thereof may be resorted to and features of'the in vention may be variously embodied without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoi'ned claims. y

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corre sponding parts in the several views: Figure 1 is an inverted plan viewshowing the form ofmetallic bottom which I prefer to em ploy; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sec-- tion through a shoe or boot exemplifying the preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig.3 is a detail perspective view of the metallic reinforcing element of the heel member; Fig. 6 is a like'view of the metallic reinforcing section of the sole member; and Fig. 7 isfaidetail view of. the bush:

- alloy of aluminum being preferred, and the upper is preferably made of leather, but any other suitable materials may be employed for theseparts. In the herein exemplified form of the invention, the bottom A. is formed to provide a heel section 0; and a sole V 7 section an integral witheach'other and has an upstanding marginal flange 10 to which the lower part of the upper is secured by rivets 10. v

C andD designate ground-engaging members which are detachably secured to the bottom A in recesses 0' and (2 formed respectively in the heel Section at and under the ball of the.foot in the sole section (1'. These ground-engaging members are formed of a relatively soft material-rubberfor a suitable composition which includes rubber and which can bemoldecP-being-preferred.

The member 0 forms'the heel of the article and the member D forms a section of the sole which is so. arranged that the foot may rock thereon, in walking, thereby conduc ing to the comfort of the wearer. The under surfaces of these members may, if desired, be suitably roughened to give them a hold upon a slippery surface. I

The recess 0 into which the upper end of the member C extends is preferablyfprm vided'by. forming the heel section a of the bottom A with appropriately arranged depending flangesfll and the recess a into which the upper end of the member'D extends is preferably provided by forming the sole section a of the 'bottoni with appropriately arranged flanges 12. The bottom A also preferably. has depending longitudi-. nal side flanges 13 which connect the ends of the front ,flange'll at the recess cfwith the ends of the rear flange 12 at the recess 07,

and also has longitudinal spaced-flanges 14: which extend fromthe forwardflange 12 at the recess 03 to the/front end of the bottom A. The flanges 14: are tapered upwardly 1 fromtheirrear ends toward the. toe oflthe article and are deeper at theirjrearends than the flange 12. They serve to stiffen the bottom under-the toe'section of the articlev and also serve as rocker bars which coop- 1 erate with the transversemember D in enabling the. wearer to walk with maximum ease and comfort notwithstanding the mflexible nature of the'bottom A.

The'ground engaging members are pro,-

videdwith metallic reinforcing elements C and D, respectively, which are embedded sections thereof to which the ground engaging member or members are secured are made of aluminum, or an alloy thereof, or

a like material. The bushings arefso arranged with relation to the metallic sections of the bottom that they will be firmly secured against accidental displacement fromthe latter and yetmay be readily detached, and replaced by new ones, when it is-desired to renew the groundengaging members. Preferably, theyare downwardly tapered and respectively arranged in correspondingly shaped openings in the bottom. The

1 openings for the bushings extend through the inner surface of the bottom in order to give access to the bushings for the insertion and removal thereof. The portion of the bottom A having the openings referred to preferably includes hollow bosses 17 and .24:

and these bosses are preferably externally tapered and extend into openings 18 and 27 formed in the members C and D, respectively. The screws 15 and 26 extend through openings 19 and 28 in the reinforcing elementsC and D of the members C and D, respectively, and into the bushings 16 and 25, which are immediately above the reinforcing elements, and when tightened hold the ground-engaging members upon the bottom.

The reinforcing elements C and D are arranged on the members C and D, preferably near the tops of the latter, so that each member has a suflicient thickness of cushioning material between it and the ground to lessen or remove the shock which when walking would be experienced with footwear having inflexiblebottoms in contact withthe ground. The parts of'the ground-engaging ably narrower than the parts which, protrude from said recesses, shoulders 23 and 23 being formed. at the junctions of these parts'to .be engaged by the flanges 11 and 12.

Additional holding elements are provided by interengaging studs and sockets which are sp'acedaround the bosses and screws. It is'prefer'red toiformthe studs as integral parts of the bottom and the sockets as inte- 'gral parts:- of' the reinforcing elements of the ground-engaging members and this arra'ngement' is shown in the drawings: 20 designating the studsof which four are'em- .ployedfor the heel member C and 21 desmenses ignating the sockets to receive said studs, while 31 designates the studs for thesole member Dtwo being preferably employed -and 29 the sockets to receive the latter studs. In practice, thereinforcing element C is preferably formed ofa plate having concaved edges to provide radial arms 21 froin the outer ends of which the sockets 21 project upward through openings 22 formed in the member C. Similarly, the reinforcing element D has its opposite ends pro- A vided with the sockets 29 which project upward from the elementthrough openings 30 formed in the sole member D. The studs 21 and 31 forthe heel and sole sections are arranged in the recesses c and-d for the heel and sole members, respectively, in positions corresponding to those of the sockets which they respectively enter. v

The opening 18 in the heel member C and the opening 2? in the sole member vDextend through the under surfaces of said members in order to afford access to the heads of the screws and 26. It will be understood that by placing the members 0 and D into their respective seats 0 and (Z the studs in the latter will enter the respective sockets in the former, and the bosses 17 and 245 will enter the openings 18 and 27 respectively and that the securing of the members C and D in place is completed by inserting the screws 15 and 9.6 into the bushings 16 and 25, respectively, and tightening the screws, the tightening'iof the screws drawing the tapered bushings tightly to place and holding the members C and D securely against the bottom A. It will be noted that the heads ofthe screws-15 and 26 are arranged a considerable distance above the lower surfaces of the members (land D and are subjected to no wear whatever and are so disposed that they can be readily reached by a screw. driver whenever it is desired to tighten or remove,

them, New ground-engaging members may readily be substituted for old or worn ones. by any person whether skilled or unskilled as is apparent. It is preferred in practic. to furnish new bushings and screws wit'i new ground-engaging elements, the old bushings being readily removable merely by driving them out of the bosses, the tapered formation of the bushings and bosses facilitating the removal of the bushings. The article preferably includes a removable inner sole E of suitable material, arranged on the bottom A between the latter and the foot of the wearer While I prefer to embody y improvements in an article of footwear which has an inflexible bottom formed with integral sole and heel. sections, it will be, understood that the invention may be embodied in an articleof-t'ootwear in which prov sion 1s made for the use of one of said ground engaging memhers-only.- F or example, a heel ior a, shoe tom A.

which in other respects is made of leather,

may be formed of the member C 'and'the metallic sea t,with the boss 17 and studs here shownras being a part only of the botcordingly is intended to apply to an inflexible member formed to receive the upper end of either one of the ground engaging members and is not intended to apply only to a construction having provision for both of said members.

Having now described the invention what I believe to be new and desire to'secure by Letters Patent, is- 1 1. An article of foot wear having a bottom provided with an inflexible section, a ground engaging member having an opening which extends through 1t and a part which extends across the opening, the inflexible section havmg a boss which extends into sa1d opening and also having an opening which extends through the boss and is open at the inner surface of the bottom, a bushing removablv mounteo in the opening in the boss and held thereinagainst displacement, the said bushing being hollow, and a fastening element extending through the part of the ground engaging member which extends across th opening in the latter, the said fastening element also extending into the bushing and being secured to the latter.

2. An article of foot wear having a bottom provided. withan inflexible section, a ground engaging member having an opening which extends through it and a part which extends across the opening, the inflexible section having a hollow boss which is downwardly tapered internally and extends into said opening andalso having an opening which extends through the boss and is open at the inner surface of the bottom, a hollow, externally tapered internally threaded bush- .ing removably mounted in the opening in the boss-and a fastening screw which extends through the part extending across the opening in the ground engaging -member and also engages the bushin 3. An article of foot wear having an infiexibl; section provided with a recess having spaced. projections, a relatively soft ground engaging member whose upper end is seated in the recess, said member having embedded therein a metallic reinforcing ele-.

The term bottom used herein ac-' the projections in the recess of the inflexible section, one set of said projections being 1101 low and receiving the other set, and means engagmg the metallic reinforcing element'for detachably securing the ground. engaging member to theinflexible section.

An article of foot wear comprising an hollow 'boss and studs, a downwardlysaid aperture and engages inflexible section having a recess and formed within the boundaries of the recess with a hollow boss and studs, 1 a relatively soft ground engaging member formed with an opening'to receive 'said'boss and having a metallic reinforcing element provided with v hollow projections to receive thestuds, and

means having connection with the reinforcmg element and ,boss for securingthe ground engaging, member detachably totheinflexible section. I

1 '6. An article of foot wear comprising an inflexible section having a recess and formed within'the boundaries of the recess with a tapered removable bushing in said boss,.'a relatively soft ground engaging member formed with an opening'to receive said boss and having a metallicreinforcing element provided with hollow projectionsto receive the studs, said element also having an aper-o ture which registers with the bushing, and

the bushing, the opening in the ground engaging member extending below said screw and through the lower surface of the member. I s

7. A relatively soft detachable ground en'- gaging member for an article offoot wear, comprising a body, and a metallic reinforcing element embedded in said body, said'element having upstanding hollow spaced-projectionsand provided'between said projec-' tions with an aperture adapted to receive a.

fastening element.

8. An article of footwear having its bot-' tom provided with an'inflexible section hava recess and a boss and spaced studs within the boundaries of the recess, the inflexible section having an openingwhich extends from the inner surface of the bottom and through the boss, a bushing detachably mounted in the boss and held therein against accidental displacement, a relatively soft ground-engaging member having an openingto receive the boss and provided with a reinforcing element having hollow projec tions to receive the studs, and a fastening element arranged in the opening n the ground-engaging member and engagmg the a fastening-screw which extends through reinforcing element and also having connection with the bushing. T

9. An inflexible section for an article of footwear, the said section being provided with a boss'and having anopening which extends from its inner surface and through the boss, said section also having projections which are spaced from the boss, a hollowbushing removablymounted in the boss and held against accidental displacement, a relatively soft ground engaging member having an opening to receive the boss and provided with a reinforcing element which extends across the opening and has projections which engage the projections of the inflexible section, the projections 0f' the inflexible'section-and reinforcing element conjointly forming holding elements for the ground engaging-member and afastening element extending through the rein-forcing element and into thebushing.

10. A11 inflexible section for footwear, the said section being provided with a downwardly open recess and with a hollow boss and projections spaced from the boss, the said-boss and projections extending downwardly from the upper wall of the recess and said wall having an opening which registers with the opening through the boss, a hollow bushing removably mounted in-the boss and held against accidental displacement, a relatively soft ground engagingrmember having an opening which of the opening in the ground engaging member and extends through the reinforcing element and engages the bushing.

an article of a 1 lu -testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses. v e

SOFUS. TROLLE.

Witnesses: v

' H. E. WVILLIAMS, J. OHRIsTENsEN. 

